Unexpected
by Lucyy48
Summary: Olivia Johnson was forced to move to Mystic Falls, Virginia when her mother and father's marriage failed. She wasn't sure what to expect when meeting new people and making new friends and one thing she definitely didn't predict was falling for an arrogant vampire. Slightly AU Damon/OC.
1. Chapter 1 - Olivia Johnson

**DISCLAIMER - I do not own anything to do with the vampire diaries. However, I do own my OC Olivia Johnson.**

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Chapter 1 – Olivia Johnson

''You'll love it here, I promise.'' Mum offered a small smile as she repeated her supposedly comforting words for what must have been the tenth time at least. I refused to believe her as I continued to stare up at the quaint house before me. It was almost identical to the others that rested on each side of the street, with its lightly coloured walls and large dark brown front door sat in the middle of a small porch. The only difference being that it looked bare through the windows, making it a lot less welcoming. I'd seen it in the pictures but felt no excitement even when standing directly in front of it as I am now. The feeling of leaving my old home, friends and country back in England was horrible. I would miss the rainy days when my friends and I would go out shopping, or to the park. I would miss the small neighbourhood community in which I knew almost everyone by name and face, all I had now was the new community surrounding me. I would be the outsider, I haven't grown up with these people, and none of them know me.

The loneliness was almost overwhelming as I watched my mother make her way up the porch steps and unlock the front door, which made no sound as it swung backwards into the house. ''Come on, Olivia.'' She beckoned me and I frowned back at her but followed her through the door anyway, dragging my suitcase filled with objects from home behind me. Mum only used my full name when she was either angry or stressed and I was guessing that she was probably having the same feelings as me but masking them for my benefit.

The hallway that greeted me as I stumbled through the door was completely empty, as I had expected. Wooden floorboards spread throughout the house, the walls remaining a boring colour of cream for the whole of the downstairs. In my old home we had carpeted floor throughout and vibrant colours that my father had insisted on getting. He was a very creative man and that showed through our furnishings we had and the way the house had been arranged. My mother never agreed with this, one of the many things that should've hinted to the fact that their marriage wouldn't last long and the current reason why we had moved as far away as possible. Obviously, a disagreement over decorations wasn't the main reason they got a divorce. I used to think my dad was amazing and that he could do nothing wrong, that was until Mum and I came back from a shopping trip early and discovered him tangled up with another woman on our living room sofa. From that moment on, any feelings that my mum had previously had for Dad absolutely disappeared and she stormed through the house, packing anything she could get her hands on and instructing me to do so too. I can still remember my dad pleading with her as she ignored him and the other woman sat in silence with no sign of regret on her face. I promised myself I wouldn't think about Dad after moving here and it frustrated me that I already had recalled the incident.

I pushed the thoughts of him away as I dumped my heavy luggage at the bottom of the stairs and ascended them slowly, running my hands over the unfamiliar walls as I went. The house had looked reasonably big in the photos and it proved to have more than enough space for the two people that would live here now. My room was directly on the right at the top of the stairs and was slightly bigger than the room I had had in England for my entire childhood. The walls were a light pink which I was pleased for as it would match my bedspread, helping me with the illusion of thinking this was like my old room, which in reality it wasn't.

I heard an engine come to a stop outside of my window and approached it to find it had a view of the street in front of the house. A large moving van had parked outside and men were carrying furniture into the house. I spotted some of my belongings and watched as they were lifted in throughout the afternoon, being arranged as I instructed until everything was in its correct place. My case had also been carried up meaning that I could quickly unpack and sort out the rest of my personal belongings which took quite a lot of time. After I was satisfied that my room looked almost identical to the one I had left behind, I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. It read **7:46 **which meant almost a whole day had been spent unpacking and settling in, I had hardly even spoken to Mum since we'd arrived which had probably made her feel even worse than she already was.

I could hear clattering of pans from downstairs which meant Mum was probably preparing food. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten much at all today, only some crisps in the airport for breakfast and a small sandwich for lunch in the car. I made my way down the stairs and through the living room which was filled with boxes and had a sofa along with our old TV in the corner. The kitchen was joined onto the living room so I entered and spotted Mum over the oven trying to cook something edible. My dad had been the cook in the old house, meaning that Mum didn't know much about it. My hopes weren't high for this meal.

''Oh, hey Liv. Could you come and help me with this please?'' Mum had turned to look at me, a frustrated expression on her face as she pleaded for me to help her. My mum's wavy light brown hair swung around her shoulders as the green in her eyes shone slightly when looking at me. I rolled my eyes as I giggled and made my way over beside her to help with the cooking. I wasn't much better at it myself so I only followed along with her instructions to finally produce spaghetti Bolognese.

It wasn't the most comfortable of silences as we sat across from each other on a new dining room table that was positioned in the centre of the spacious kitchen. The food wasn't that great either, which didn't improve the mood much.

''You'll be going back to school tomorrow.'' Mum stated, looking up at me for a moment before going back to her dinner.

''Yeah, great.'' I said sarcastically as I began prodding at the food on my plate, reluctant to eat any more.

''Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll make lots of friends like you did back in England.'' Mum's encouraging words did little to comfort me as I still dreaded the morning tomorrow when I would have to wake up early and drag myself to another school where I would be the 'new kid'.

''I'm going to bed.'' I muttered quietly before lifting myself from the comfortable chair and dumping the remainders of my meal in the bin. I washed the plate quickly and placed it in the drying rack next to the sink as my mum watched me in silence. She knew that whenever I was upset or stressed I liked to be left alone and go to sleep to escape my worries. ''Night.'' I called over my shoulder when I left the room, receiving a mumbled reply from my mum.

I entered the comforting walls of my new bedroom and closed the door, blocking the sounds of my mum wondering around downstairs and unpacking. I quickly pulled the curtains across the window, glancing at the darkened and abandoned street outside before changing into my comfy pyjamas and hopping under the covers. Sleep came easily, and I welcomed it as I began to forget about the problems I would have to face tomorrow.

* * *

''Rise and shine, sleepyhead!'' I heard my mother's voice through the wood of the door, slowly waking up to the blinding sunlight that escaped through the material of the curtains. I stretched my arms above my head, hearing a few cracks as my tired muscles protested against the movement. My first day at school in Mystic Falls, Virginia had arrived too soon and all I wanted to do was remain curled up in the warmth of my bed.

I moved slowly around the house, into the shower and back into my bedroom to change into something presentable. I picked out some light coloured skinny jeans with a plain white top that floated out slightly along with a pair of black ankle boots that I always seemed to wear. Looking at my reflection in my dressing table's mirror, I began brushing through the dark brown waves before straightening them slightly along with my side fringe, ensuring that it framed my face. I put my brush down and gazed into the deep green eyes of my reflection, attempting to read the feelings that showed clearly on my face. Behind the mask of happiness that I had plastered onto my features, there was a slight hint of sadness that I hated to show. I tried to forget the reasons for my sadness as I began applying a small amount of foundation, eye liner on my top lid and some mascara onto my already long eye lashes. I took one last look at my reflection, checking that everything was done to a good standard so that I don't end up looking ridiculous on my first day.

By the time I was done, it was only five minutes until I had to leave so I ran down the stairs, greeting my mother quickly before grabbing a slice of bread and scoffing it down in record speed. She sent me an encouraging look as I shouted back a 'goodbye' and proceeded to walk out onto the street.

The school I was meant to be attending was only a 10 minute walk from my house. I didn't mind not getting a lift from Mum; it gave me time to prepare myself for a gruelling day at the new school. The possibility of being ignored by the other students was high but I really hoped I could at least make one friend today.

The sounds of chatting teenagers became louder as I rounded a corner that showed a large expanse of greenery before a modernised building towered over the grounds, the words 'Mystic Falls High School' printed on a wall in the middle of the grass. Well, this was definitely the place.

Students paid me no attention as I wondered up the path towards the school, on my way to collect my schedule amongst other things. I entered the reception office and spotted a woman behind the desk, the words 'Mrs Clarke' written on a small sign on the desk. I approached her with a smile that I hoped didn't look too forced and waited in front of her until she finally looked up.

''Can I help you?'' She asked in a polite tone, returning my smile.

''I'm Olivia Johnson, I'm new here.'' I introduced myself, unsure of what else to say having not been in this situation before.

''Ah yes, the new student. Here's your schedule, locker code and number along with a map of the school for if you get lost.'' I accepted the pieces of paper in her hand, still smiling.

''Thank you.''

''I hope you like it here.'' She dismissed me, turning back to the computer she had been staring at when I arrived.

I turned away and walked back out into the hallway with lockers up and down the walls. The floors were polished for the new term, the walls white, a few covered in red bricks in places. I looked down at the number for my locker: **43**. The first locker I spotted was reasonably close to my number, meaning I didn't have to walk too far until I came to the one that belonged to me and I inputted the code. It unlocked and I expected the worst as I opened it, luckily it was clean and bare, a lot of room for the new books I would collect over the term.

''Hey, are you new?'' A female voice caught my attention as somebody addressed me from behind. I turned in my spot to look at the girl who had slightly tanned skin and long brown hair. She wore a friendly and welcoming expression that automatically caused a smile to spread itself across my face.

''Yeah, I'm Olivia, but my friends call my Liv.''

''Nice to meet you, Liv. I'm Elena,'' She introduced herself before turning to her friend who was stood beside her, ''and this is my best friend Bonnie.''

''Hey, do you have a schedule yet? You look a bit lost.'' Bonnie chuckled as I nodded my head.

''Yeah, I just got it. I'm wondering what to do now to be honest.'' I spoke, silently praying that they would help show me to my lessons. I was absolutely hopeless with finding anything, it was a miracle I even found my locker and I wasn't about to look at the map, that would make me look like an absolute idiot.

Elena laughed politely before speaking again, ''Don't worry, we'll show you the way. Do you know what class you have first?''

I scanned my eyes over the timetable in front of me, 'It says here that I have History with… Mr Saltzman?''

''Great! We have that first too.'' Bonnie smiled as I giggled and followed them down the hall towards a classroom.

Just as Bonnie was leading me into the room, I heard Elena laugh from behind me and begin to whisper with somebody. Automatically, I thought she was making fun of me with somebody else; they seemed like two of the populars after all. This was probably all a big joke to show the new kid around, it was disappointing as I thought they were genuinely nice. I heard a male voice speak back to Elena which caused me to curiously turn around and face the pair. He was a good-looking boy with tousled dark brown hair and deep green eyes. At that point in time he was staring lovingly into the eyes of Elena as they spoke and joked around.

Elena noticed my curious gaze and turned to address me, ''This is my boyfriend, Stefan. Stefan, this is Olivia, she's new here.'' Elena smiled up at Stefan once she'd finished speaking, but Stefan had directed his attention towards me.

''Nice to meet you, Olivia.'' He sent me a quick smile before going back to looking at Elena.

I found it awkward just watching them, so decided to turn away and wonder into the classroom I was now faced with. There was nobody in the room apart from Bonnie, a man who I guessed was Mr Saltzman and myself.

''Ah, hello, you must be my new student. Olivia was it?'' Mr Saltzman extended his hand professionally towards me and I took it nervously and shook.

''Yes, I'm Olivia Johnson.'' I sent a warm smile his way as I began to feel comfortable in the environment. So far nobody had been horrible to me or embarrassed me which is what I had guessed would happen today.

''Good. Right, have you studied History before? You're from England, correct?'' I nodded to his questions.

''I didn't do a lot of History, but I studied it a bit.''

''That's ok. I'm sure you'll catch up quickly.'' He spoke reassuringly and gestured for me to take a seat as Elena and Stefan entered, other students beginning to file in behind them as well.

The day went by quickly. I met more of Elena and Bonnie's friends, including a blonde, preppy girl named Caroline who got on my nerves slightly, especially when she sent me a glare as Elena introduced us. I also met Elena's ex-boyfriend Matt and her little brother Jeremy who both seemed nice. Though Jeremy was a bit quiet and acted slightly like a grumpy teenager some of the time which was pretty annoying.

It finally came to the time when I could leave and walk home but just as I was about to start my 10 minute walk home, Elena ran up to me excitedly. We'd been getting to know each other most of the day and I had learnt she was pretty confident and funny a lot of the time. But I found it weird that Stefan would follow her around a lot and they would share a hushed conversation that sounded serious on occasions.

''Hey, Liv! Do you want to come around to mine now?'' Elena questioned excitedly, ''Bonnie and Stefan are coming too and Jeremy will probably be there also.''

''Yeah, sure. Let me just text my mum so she knows where I am.'' I grinned at her as I retrieved my phone from my back pocket, quickly sending a short text to Mum telling her I was spending tonight around a friend's house, and to try to not burn the new house down cooking. She replied almost instantly expressing how excited she was that I had made new friends so quickly, she said it was fine to not come home until later.

I told Elena this who then led me towards a car parked in the corner of the lot. I took the shotgun seat as she pulled away from the school and began to drive towards her home.

_**A/N Hey there! Hope you like my new story. Uploads may be a bit slow at the start as I need to prepare a few chapters and such. If you want me to continue writing this story and publishing it then please follow, favourite and leave a review which will motivate me to write.**_

_**Thanks for reading! I probably won't update this story until I get at least one review to motivate me. I won't accept any flames as I have no time for them.**_

_**Lucy x**_


	2. Chapter 2 - Meetings

Chapter 2 – Meetings

A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of Elena's home on Maple Street. The size of it surprised me as I scanned my eyes over the green porch steps and dazzlingly white walls that reflected the sunlight back at me. There were some seats and plants on the wide porch that we had made our way up onto and Elena inserted a key into the dark wood front door to let it swing open. When we stepped through, we were faced with the hall that had steps directly ahead leading upstairs and a lounge to the right leading off onto the kitchen that could also be seen directly ahead through an archway down the hall.

As I took in my surroundings, a woman poked her head around the corner and smiled towards Elena and I, ''Hey, who are you?'' She asked politely.

''Olivia, I just moved here from England.'' I smiled warmly back at her as she nodded her head.

''Cool. Elena, I have to go out so can you look after the house and Jer? He's up in his room at the moment doing God knows what.'' She began gathering her bag and coat together, slipping it on over her shoulders as she spoke.

''Yeah, have fun!'' Elena laughed as the woman left the house in a hurry, ''She's my Aunt Jenna, I can't believe she didn't even introduce herself.''

I laughed with her as she entered the living room and plopped herself down onto the sofa motioning for me to do the same, ''So if you don't mind me asking, why did you move here from England?'' Elena struck up a conversation as soon as I had made myself comfortable.

''My mum and dad's marriage didn't work out so she wanted to move to get as far away from him as possible.'' I muttered an answer and Elena sent me a sympathetic look.

''Are you ok?'' She asked the question I had been expecting so I replied with the lie that I had planned for this situation.

''Yeah, fine. My dad always was an idiot anyway.'' I smiled slightly in an attempt to lighten the now serious mood. In reality, it was completely out of character for my dad to do what he did. Normally, I would see both of my parents working hard to try and make their relationship work despite their differences. That's why it came as more of a shock when I found Dad had cheated.

''Did you want anything to eat or drink?'' She changed the subject quickly.

''Do you have some water, please?'' I asked politely resulting in her heading towards the kitchen and returning a few seconds later with a glass full to the brim with water. ''Thanks.'' I muttered as I took a sip. ''Where are your parents?''

Elena hesitated as I realised I had hit a nerve, her expression dropping from a smile to a slight frown, ''They died in a car crash a while ago.'' Her gaze dropped to the floor.

''I'm sorry.'' I didn't know what else to say. Trust me to bring up that sort of topic the first time I'm invited round her house.

Just then, a knock sounded at the front door out in the hall and Elena hurried over to open it. I watched her as she went, still mentally slapping myself for bringing up the conversation about her parents.

I couldn't tell who Elena was speaking to as she spoke in hushed tones to somebody outside. She looked in my direction before quickly going back to speaking to the person again. I didn't miss the look of panic on her features as her eyes met mine and she looked tense as she received whatever news this person had brought.

''Liv, I'm really sorry but I have to go. Do you mind walking back home?'' Elena had closed the front door and was slowly approaching me, at the same time grabbing her keys from the side and pulling on her shoes.

''No it's fine, thanks for having me.'' I smiled reassuringly at her as I gathered my own school bag that contained my homework and pulled my ankle boots back on. She waved at me as I exited the house, realising that time must have gone by quite quickly as the sun was already setting on the horizon and the cold was beginning to set in. I looked over my shoulder as she tugged open her car door and pulled away from the curb, still looking slightly worried.

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The next morning brought with it the cold air from last night meaning I had to dress to keep myself warm for the day ahead. I picked out a knitted jumper that I had worn frequently in England due to the commonly chilly and rainy weather and the same skinny jeans and ankle boots from the day before. I was hoping that any awkwardness between Elena and I left from last night had disappeared so that we could go back to joking around for the entire day.

Luckily, the whole day went by without any awkward moments. It was as if Elena had completely forgotten about both her family life and whatever was troubling her after I left. She remained smiley all day, but I didn't miss the way Stefan was acting. He would glance around the group on occasions as if he were looking for somebody or preparing for something to happen. It made me on edge too.

The rest of the week also went by without any problems. Stefan remained alert most of the time but everybody else was acting the same as they had when I had first met them. It was nice to feel like I fit in straight away with the large group of friends. They'd welcomed me in and were all being friendly but I still didn't miss the fact that they were discussing something between each other when I wasn't there.

On the Friday of the week, I approached Caroline and Bonnie to discuss the History homework that had been set. I noticed them in the almost empty hallway having a heated discussion of some kind and I felt bad for interrupting which I obviously did as they abruptly stopped talking as I came closer.

''Oh Hey, Liv.'' Bonnie smiled as Caroline rolled her eyes at me. When I said earlier that all of them had been friendly, I meant everybody but Caroline. For some reason she acted as if the mere presence of me was too much for her to handle as she continued to ignore me or send disgusted looks in my direction.

''Hey. Can you guys give me some pointers with the History homework?'' I asked, avoiding eye contact with Caroline.

''Sure, let's take a look.'' Bonnie answered and I handed her my sheet. She glanced over it and gave me some advice which I accepted gratefully. ''By the way, we're all going to my house tonight for a sleepover. Do you want to come? By 'all' I mean Elena, Care and me.''

''That would be awesome. What time should I come?'' I smiled at her as I accepted the invitation, already looking forward to it.

''Well, we're all going in Elena's car straight after school, so you could probably tag along if you'd like.'' I nodded just as the bell went and we split off to go to our different lessons.

The rest of my lessons went by in a blur as I awaited the end of the day. I met up with Bonnie and Elena as we made our way towards her car, apparently Caroline had made up an excuse in order to not come. I refused to think that she was missing the sleepover in order to avoid me because I still have no idea what I could've done to offend her.

Bonnie's house was also quite large and I found myself becoming jealous as everybody around here seemed to have a lot of money whereas now that Mum had split from Dad we only had one source of income, but we were still managing without him. I had to stop thinking about this situation, I'd promised myself after all. But, I guess the change has had a massive effect on my life and I just hope nothing else happens that changes my life drastically.

''Who wants popcorn!?'' Elena came bounding back into the spacious living room holding two large bowls of the salty snack in her arms. Bonnie and I cheered as we all began taking massive handfuls and stuffing the food in our faces. We'd decided on watching a movie which in this case happened to be 'Twilight'. Bonnie and Elena seemed to have an inside joke going as they continuously laughed throughout most of the film.

When the film was close to ending, there was suddenly a loud bang that came from outside of the house. My head snapped in the direction of the front door as I was startled by the sound.

''What do you think that was?'' I asked, still looking towards the front door where it had become eerily silent.

''Erm, I don't know.'' Elena's eyes were wide as she followed my gaze towards the door, listening intently.

We all jumped as somebody knocked at the door repeatedly. I let out a relieved sigh, assuming that the person outside was responsible for the loud noise that had happened moments ago. Elena and Bonnie on the other hand, didn't relax at all. Instead Bonnie rose from her perch slowly, followed closely behind by Elena as she approached the front door slowly, cautiously. I watched them for a moment, not sure if I should follow. I decided against it as I leaned around in my seat and spotted Bonnie peeking through the hole in the door to see who was out there. Was it really so dangerous here to be on such high alert all the time?

''Oh for goodness sake! It's me, open the damn door.'' I heard an annoyed male voice as both girls continued to stare at the door like the man behind it was a serial killer. Then again for all I know, he could be.

Elena and Bonnie exchanged glances as they reached for the front door key, ready to open it. I poked my head around further in an attempt to see whoever was outside but as soon as the door opened, a man stormed in not sparing a glance for either of the girls as he continued to make his way into the living room I was sat in. I spun back around, not wanting to be caught staring, but I still managed to take in his handsome features and his angry expression before I tore my eyes away.

''Who the heck are you?'' The man was stood in front of me now, where I still sat on the sofa. His bright blue eyes searched my face for answers as I remained still, like a rabbit caught in the headlights. I didn't know how to react to his fierce demeanour and to the waves of anger that seemed to be pouring off of him, now directed towards me, ''I'm not going to repeat the question.'' He almost growled at me impatiently.

''O-Olivia Johnson.'' I tried to not show my fear towards the man but failed as my words came out in a stutter.

''Leave her alone, Damon.'' Elena said defensively as the man I now knew called Damon took another intimidating step towards me, a frown etched on his features. Now that he was closer, I could see that he had a pale complexion, not a blemish in sight. His blue eyes were stormy, holding mystery and anger in their depths. He had black hair that was styled carelessly on his head, as if he'd done nothing to it but it still managed to look really good. He obviously noticed the way my eyes roamed over his features, appreciating his looks as the frown on his face quickly dissolved into a heart-stopping smirk that vanished a second later.

''We have things to discuss, Elena.'' Damon spoke coldly, pulling his gaze from my face and turning away, as if I wasn't even there. The way he spoke to her was arrogant, as if he was all mighty and powerful and nobody was above him. The way he acted instantly made me regret ever thinking he was attractive, as his personality was far from it from what I could tell, ''I'm afraid your little friend has to leave. It doesn't concern her.'' I realised he was speaking about me as I stared at the back of his head in disbelief. He seemed talented in being able to make somebody feel like they were as important as gum on the bottom of somebody's shoe. It wasn't the best feeling.

Elena's next words surprised me even more than Damon's actions, ''Damon, don't be such a dick.'' They seemed to spill out of her mouth without her consent as she looked shocked afterwards momentarily, until she covered it up quickly and dropped her gaze to the floor.

Damon seemed to shrug off her insult almost immediately, as if it happened all the time and he was used to it. His smirk grew wider with his next words, ''If you won't ask her to leave, then I shall.'' He stated, turning around towards me and locking his eyes with mine.

I felt nervous as he approached, unsure of what he was going to do. Both Elena and Bonnie looked frightened but made no move to stop him as he gripped my arm in his strong grasp and pulled me off of the seat. I felt my heartbeat speed up as I began to panic, wondering if he were going to physically force me to leave or hurt me. He didn't let go of my arm, which had begun to ache as he dug his fingers into my skin, staring directly into my eyes, ''You will leave straight away and go home.'' His pupils dilated as he spoke the words and I found it hard to resist staring. Suddenly, I had the urge to leave the house and walk home as he had said, so without question I retrieved my school bag, coat and boots and squeezed past Elena and Bonnie who were in the way of the door. They sent me worried looks as I rushed to exit the house and stepped foot into the darkness that had set in as time went by. I was halfway down the street before I realised that I had actually left. It was like my body was on automatic to obey Damon's commands and that terrified me.

* * *

**_A/N Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I'm so happy for my first review on the last chapter, it encouraged me to write and post this sooner so if you want the next chapter up faster then leave a review!_**

**_Lucy x_**


	3. Chapter 3 - Danger

Chapter 3 - Danger

The cold wind nipped at the back of my neck as I continued to walk slowly down the darkened streets. There seemed to be nobody outside and it was eerily quiet, adding to the fear that was already present after meeting Damon. I turned a corner that led towards my street and stumbled after bumping into somebody's hard shoulder, hard enough to probably be a man. I was surprised as I looked up into the familiar brown eyes of my friend staring down at me with an amused glint in her eye. Not only did it surprise me that she was strong enough to let me walk into her and not even stumble, but I was also confused as to how she got here so fast. Wasn't she just in Bonnie's house?

''Oh, sorry.'' I muttered an apology as I rubbed my sore head that had hit her, ''How did you get here so fast? Weren't you just with Bonnie and Damon?'' The confusion I felt was reflected in my tone as what looked like realisation flashed through Elena's expression.

''Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you got home ok.'' She smiled at me. However, her smile lacked the warmth that it usually had, as if it were forced. This made me wonder if Damon had done anything to her when I had suddenly left and whether she was alright.

''Did Damon do something after I left? Do you know what happened back there anyway?'' The questions escaped before I could stop them as my curiosity got the best of me.

''Oh, that was just Damon being Damon.'' She continued to smile and laughed slightly. I nodded, but noted that she hadn't actually answered my questions. As if she were purposefully avoiding them and hoping I wouldn't notice. I dropped it anyway, not wanting to force her to tell me what was going on. I'm sure they'll say in their own time. ''Come on, let's get you home.'' Elena said cheerfully as she began to stroll towards my house down the street.

We walked in silence for most of the way, Elena occasionally glancing at me and scanning her eyes over my face when she thought I didn't notice. I could see her out of the corner of my eye inspecting me and it made me rather self-conscious. Especially as she was much prettier than myself and seemed to be almost analysing my looks and sussing me out. It was weird since we've known each other for a week now and it was as if she was only just realising that I wasn't up to her standards as a friend.

''Here we are.'' I stated, causing her to take a sideways look at my house. A small smile played at the corners of her lips as her eyes sparkled for a second.

''See you around then.'' She waved quickly before walking off down the street in the complete opposite direction of her house. That was weird.

I ran up the porch steps and entered the house, warmth engulfing me as soon as I crossed the threshold. Only the hall light was on and no sound came from downstairs, signalling that Mum had probably already gone up to bed. I pulled off my coat and boots and threw them to the side before rushing up the stairs and knocking lightly on my mum's door, just to check.

''Is that you, Liv?'' Her quiet voice could be heard through the door. I opened the door and smiled at her as I spotted her lying in bed, book in hand.

''Just checking you're ok. Sorry I wasn't back until late. Did you manage dinner by yourself?'' I asked her, my eyebrows raised in question.

''Yeah, but it wasn't the nicest meal I've ever had.'' She answered, her nose scrunching up in disgust as she recalled it.

I laughed, ''At least the house is still in one piece.'' I joked, resulting in a laugh from her before I told her good night and closed her door firmly.

I made my way into the bathroom and began my nightly routine to get ready for bed. It took me around 10 minutes to brush my teeth, comb my hair and change into my pyjamas. I collapsed onto my mattress, snuggling under the duvet and checked my phone as I usually did before bed. There was one new message flashing up on screen from Elena that caught my attention: **Sorry you had to leave so suddenly. Damon's an ass. Hope you got home okay? E xo**

I stared at the message for a few seconds before checking the time it was sent. If my phone was right, which I guessed it was, then this message was sent 15 minutes ago when I had been walking home with Elena herself. Surely she hadn't forgotten? I didn't think she had any memory problems which means she must be confused or something, right?

I quickly typed out a text in reply: **It's ok, he seems like one. You know I got home though don't you? You walked me here so I should hope so :P xo**

In my text I made it sound like a joke, but that's because I was sure she was kidding. There was no doubt that was her who had walked with me, and we'd even spoken! Unless Elena had an identical twin, which was a possibility, then it couldn't have been anybody else but her. A shiver ran down my spine as the possibility of it not being her went through my mind. I suddenly felt very vulnerable and even more scared than I had been when I met Damon, it wasn't a nice feeling and it prevented me from sleeping for a while as I mulled over the possibility in my mind.

* * *

The next morning, I found myself stood at the bottom of Elena's porch steps, staring up at her modern house towering over me. She'd sounded concerned in her text back last night that I'd only received this morning, and had insisted that I visited her today. It was Sunday which meant that I would see her tomorrow at school anyway but she'd seemed adamant in getting me to come over.

I made my way up the steps, pulling my coat around me as the wind blew my hair fiercely around me face. I raised my hand to knock, but the door swung open before I could even come into contact with the wood. Suddenly, I was enveloped in a warm hug as Elena repeatedly asked if I was hurt. I reassured her I was fine but she still looked doubtful.

''Elena, she's probably confused.'' I noticed Stefan was stood behind her in the house once he had spoken. Elena nodded her head vigorously and opened the door wider to let me in. We sat on the sofa, Elena between Stefan and I when I was then faced with the curious expressions of my two friends.

''Tell us what happened last night, after you left.'' Elena's familiar kind eyes searched my face for answers as I noticed the stark contrast the expression she showed now had to the one I was faced with last night.

''I was turning the corner down your street in the direction of my own when I ran smack bang into your shoulder. Don't you remember?'' I raised my eyebrows, expecting Elena to show some sign of remembering, but she only looked more concerned.

''What happened then?'' Stefan asked me, concern laced in his own features.

''I apologised and then you offered to walk me home,'' I directed this towards Elena but she still showed no signs of recalling the events, '' We spoke for a bit. I thought you were acting a bit weird, no offence.''

''What sort of weird?'' Elena interrupted before I could say anymore.

''Well, you didn't want to talk to me about Damon and after you'd dropped me off at home and you continued walking in the complete opposite direction to your house.'' For a moment, I began to doubt if this happened myself as Elena continued to stare blankly at me.

Stefan broke the silence that had settled, directing his question towards Elena, his brows scrunched up as if he were in deep thought, ''Should we tell her?'' I looked between the two as Elena considered it.

''Yeah,'' Elena paused for a moment, ''The girl you bumped into last night wasn't me.'' I felt my heartbeat pick up as I began to feel both fear and nervousness to this simple statement. ''Her name's Katherine, she's only come to Mystic Falls recently after being gone for a long time. She's dangerous, Liv. I would stay away from her if I were you. It's surprising that she didn't try anything last night, you're lucky she didn't too.''

''But she looks exactly the same as you and she didn't even deny it when I automatically assumed she was you. Are you twins or something? And she's the evil one?'' I smiled slightly but Elena and Stefan remained serious.

''Something like that. It's a little more complicated but, don't worry, everything is under control.'' Under control? What is she, some sort of wild animal? Elena's words did little to comfort me as she forced a smile onto her face.

''If you see her again though, don't speak to her. Contact one of us immediately because we don't want you getting hurt.'' Stefan smiled at me as well and quickly changed the subject, ''Now, how about we watch a movie or something?'' Elena nodded, seemingly thankful for the distraction but I remained frightened and unsure about this Katherine girl. It was hard to believe that she could be so dangerous since she made no move to hurt me in anyway last night.

We watched movie's throughout the day. No serious ones, mostly comedies that resulted in us laughing together for the whole day. I almost forgot about Katherine and the dangers she is said to bring… almost. I hoped that I never had to talk to her again, I'd felt slightly scared and unsure last night now that I think about it, scared of the sinister look she had directed towards me just before she walked away. It made sense that it wasn't Elena as Katherine lacked the kindness and warmth that radiated off of Elena whenever you spoke to her. I don't want to meet this evil twin ever again.

''See you at school!'' Elena shouted up to me from the window of her car as I made my way into my house. I waved back at her and watched as she drove away before entering.

Mum was sat watching TV in the living room and she looked up at me as I entered, offering a smile, ''How was your day then, sweetie?''

''Yeah, it was fun.'' I returned a wide smile and giggled, recalling the day. ''Do you want me to make dinner tonight?'' I asked.

She looked grateful as she nodded and I made my way back into the kitchen to cook up something edible. It ended up being chicken salad which didn't take too much skill to make, so was perfect. We sat opposite each other in a comfortable silence as we ate on the dining table in the kitchen. I gazed out of the window behind my mum as I watched the sun setting behind the horizon. A large bird silently landed on the window ledge as I watched, staring into the room through its large, black eye. It was slightly unnerving as I watched the crow. It let out a loud squawk as I collected mine and my mum's plates and took them to the sink to wash up. Mum said goodnight shortly after and left me downstairs, complaining that she was too tired from all of the stress of moving.

Once I was finished with tidying up, I got a prickly feeling on the back of my neck as if somebody was watching me. I spun around expecting Katherine to be stood there with a knife; yeah my imagination is a bit wild, especially when I'm scared. But, I was faced with an empty room. I looked off towards the window to find the large crow still on its perch, letting out a relieved sigh as I realised that was what was watching me, a harmless bird. I approached the window and opened it, expecting the bird to fly away from how close I was to it, but it remained still, observing my every move. I shooed it away, waving my hand at it as if I was going to hit it and it still didn't budge. Surprised, I pulled the curtains not wanting to look at it anymore as it was beginning to freak me out.

I trudged off to my bedroom and swiftly changed into my comfy pyjamas, putting the clothes I had spent the day in in the washing bin. I snuggled down into my covers and closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to take me away. Just as I was dozing off, I picked up the sound of a bird calling just outside of my window. Too relaxed to move, I gave it no thought and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**_A/N Thank you for reading! I want to say a special thank you to the Guest and MMFDFanatic who left reviews on my first chapter! They were really nice and made my day :)_**

**_If you want to see more of this story then please review. I'm going to wait until I get at least 3 more reviews until I post another chapter so if you want to read the next chapter sooner rather than later then click the review button and leave some comments! Please be nice or leave helpful advice, no flames as they will be ignored._**

**_Lucy x_**


	4. Chapter 4 - Mystic Grill

Chapter 4 – Mystic Grill

School for the next two days went by quickly, nothing much happening. I was enjoying all of my classes and had pushed the thoughts of Katherine to the back of my mind, hoping that if I didn't think about her then she wouldn't appear and cause any trouble. I'd gotten to know Elena and Bonnie much better and was now stood chatting to them in the hallway as other students filed past us out of the doors as it was the end of the day.

''Do you want to come with a bunch of us to the Mystic Grill tonight?'' Bonnie asked, a smile lighting up her features.

''Sure, what time should I meet you there?'' I asked, returning a warm smile.

''Around 6ish?''

''Okay, is it in town? I haven't really looked around much yet.'' I hadn't explored the town much yet, at all. I'd planned on looking around some time during the week or at the weekend but had never gotten around to it.

''Yeah. Don't worry, we'll come pick you up.'' Elena waved goodbye as Stefan came to drive her home. I waved back and left to get ready to leave before they arrived.

I walked briskly home, keeping my head down. Ever since bumping into Katherine in the streets I'd had the nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I was being watched. It was worst at night, resulting in me becoming close to terrified as I thought up terrible situations of somebody breaking in and hurting either Mum or me. The rest of my new friends acted as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on and everything was normal. I'd decided earlier to try and follow their lead and forget anything that is troubling me.

I arrived home to an empty house, as I had been expecting. Mum had been gone for a lot of the time this week as she had started her new job. She was doing work with the council but hadn't gone into much detail. I hadn't asked her much about it, figuring that it was probably something boring that I probably wouldn't understand anyway. I trudged upstairs to get ready, applying a little more make-up to replace what had come off during the day at school. I decided on curling my hair slightly, trying to make it look different to its usual straightness. I didn't want to change as this wasn't really a formal outing or anything, so I remained in some black leggings and a long top that had one of my favourite brightly coloured shirts on over the top.

It wasn't long before I heard an engine come to a stop outside, quickly followed by a loud knock at the door. I hurried down the stairs, pulling on my coat and shoes before swinging the front door open and smiling brightly at Elena who stood with Bonnie by her side.

''Ready?'' Bonnie asked, rubbing her hands together to bring warmth.

I nodded, grabbing my already prepared purse off of the side with my phone and some money in. I'd left a note on the table explaining where I was going for my mum to find to stop her worrying and I figured that was the best way to contact her as she rarely looked at her phone when she was working.

It was only a short drive to the Mystic Grill as it was in the centre of town, not far from my home. I hadn't seen it before now, as Elena led the way through the doors and we were faced with a rather busy room. There were pool tables, a bar and dart boards along with other activities and many tables with customers sat around. My attention was immediately drawn to a large table in the centre of the room where Matt and Tyler sat waving frantically in our direction. I also spotted Caroline sat next to them but she made no move to greet us as we neared and I wondered, not for the first time, what had crawled in her pants and died.

''Hey guys.'' Elena greeted as she took a seat beside Caroline who nodded in acknowledgement.

I smiled as I took a seat at the table and began chatting with Matt and Bonnie. Elena seemed to be talking with Caroline and Tyler but I didn't listen to hear what about. To be honest, I wasn't that interested in what Caroline had to say as she wasn't very welcoming towards me.

''So, who do you live with?'' Matt asked me. I hadn't spoken to anybody about my dad, except for Elena and I didn't plan on revealing much. After all, Mum and I moved to forget about my dad, I don't have to continually bring him up in conversation.

''It's just me and my mum.'' I stated, hoping that he would realise that I didn't want to talk about my dad at this time.

He nodded his head and looked away from me as awkwardness settled around us. It didn't last long as I heard the door to the place open and turned to look at who had entered, expecting nobody of interest. To my surprise, Stefan walked in with a look of annoyance clouding his features. For a moment I didn't know what had caused him to become so agitated, but then realisation set in as soon as I saw who wondered in behind him. Wearing all black, Damon smirked at the table before his eyes landed on me. I gazed curiously at him as his smirk dropped to a blank expression and his eyebrows pulled together in confusion for a moment before he looked away and seemed to ignore me again as he stood beside us.

''How are we all doing today?'' He asked in fake cheeriness as everybody's attention turned to him. The atmosphere turned cold as everyone seemed to turn hostile.

''What are you doing here, Damon?'' Bonnie asked with anger in her heated gaze.

Damon seemed to ignore the hostility in her tone as he answered, ''Just wanted to hang out with some of my friends. Is that so much of a crime, Witchy?''

Bonnie rolled her eyes at him and proceeded to turn away to look anywhere but at Damon. I followed her lead and tried my very hardest to ignore his arrogant presence as I sent a questioning glance towards Matt who seemed to be burning holes in the side of Damon's head with his eyes. Matt didn't seem to notice my confusion, neither did anybody else as the uncomfortable silence stretched on. Even the calm and collected Stefan seemed to be radiating hatred that was flowing off of him in waves. The actions of my new found friends scared me, but I decided to try and act normally and sipped the glass of coke that sat in front of me on the table.

After a few more minutes of a tense atmosphere and no words being exchanged, I decided to call it a night and suggest that I leave, ''Thanks for inviting me, guys. I think I'm going to head home since it's getting late and my mum might need me to help her with dinner.'' I began to rise from my seat and gather my coat and bag together as everybody watched me.

''It was nice hanging out with you. We should do this again sometime.'' A fake smile plastered itself on Elena's face as she quickly glanced away from Damon in my direction. They seemed to have been having a silent conversation but I wasn't going to dwell on that fact and I certainly wasn't going to stick around any longer to find out what the problem here was.

''I'll see you at school.'' I smiled slightly and began making my way towards the exit.

Just as I reached the doors, a strong hand gripped my shoulder firmly but not in a rough manor. I slowly turned around and to my surprise, came face-to-face with Damon harbouring a smirk on his pale face.

''I can't just let a young girl like yourself walk home alone at this time of night, can I?'' He asked rhetorically causing me to immediately go on the defensive. From the shocked expression on my friend's faces I realised that this wasn't the usual way Damon acted. ''Let me give you a ride to your house, I'm sure it's no trouble.'' He continued persuasively.

I raised my eyebrows in shock as he removed his hand from my shoulder and, without waiting for a reply, sauntered out of the bar as if expecting me to follow without question.

* * *

_**A/N Sorry for not updating in such a long time! I had a busy Christmas and New Year and then had exams leaving me very little time to write anything. I hope this is okay, please follow, favourite and review if you want me to write more. Without the motivation, I probably will stop writing this story because I feel like not many people are reading it.**_

_**Thank you for reading! :)**_


	5. Chapter 5 - Carnival

Chapter 5 – Carnival

I hesitated for a moment, staring at the exit doors that had swung shut after Damon's departure. From what I'd seen of Damon, he seemed like an absolute dick who really only cares about himself. Maybe this offer was him trying to show his courteous side or something? Should I even give him a chance after the way he has acted? Oh, balls to it!

Might as well find out what he has to say for himself.

I pushed through the doors not looking back and spotted Damon waiting on the pavement next to a slick, blue car. I couldn't tell what type of car it was since I'm not a car fanatic but I knew it was a convertible of some kind and looked pretty impressive.

''Are you going to actually get in or just stand there and stare at the car?'' Damon's irritated voice cut through my thoughts as I jumped, startled slightly and made my way towards him. His expression was blank as he made his way to the driver's side and motioned for me to get in. I obliged and made myself comfortable inside the car, watching Damon start the engine and pull away from the curb.

''W-why are you being so nice?'' I forced myself to say something, to at least try and start a conversation but I realised as soon as I had said it that it probably wasn't the best thing I could've said. Especially since I ended up stuttering out of nervousness and fear that I felt towards the man sat beside me.

''Can't I be a gentleman once in a while?'' He asked rhetorically, not looking hurt at all by my comment, but I noted the small smirk that played at the edge of his lips presumably from sensing my unease. ''Have Stefie and Elena already given you the 'Damon's a dangerous dick' speech yet, or something?'' He glanced in my direction before turning back to face the road, a hint of amusement hidden in his eyes.

''No, call it my own intuition.'' I muttered receiving a chuckle from Damon.

''The more you hang around those people, the quicker you'll learn that they all find something wrong with my decisions and the way I act.'' He sighed, as if he thought he really did nothing to cause those reactions towards himself. From what I have already seen, he's not exactly the nicest guy out there.

''What have you done to make them be so hostile?'' I asked out of pure curiosity, shocking myself with my confidence to speak to him.

His familiar smirk graced his beautiful features as he glanced at me again, ''Nothing I'm not proud of. I don't think somebody as innocent as you should know.'' He chuckled after he had finished speaking and I felt the corners of my lips turn down in a frown.

''Never mind, I don't think I want to know.'' I turned my head away from him to watch the houses flash by us. I noted that his reply was pretty vague which caused me to wonder if he was dangerous. Had he done something really terrible?

I noticed that we were driving up my street in the direction of my house and wondered how on earth Damon knew where I lived, but I wasn't going to push the subject, too afraid of the answer.

''Home sweet home.'' Damon murmured as he pulled up beside the drive of my house. I noticed the lights were still on downstairs, meaning Mum was probably still awake despite the probably fairly late hour. I seriously hope she doesn't look out the window and spot Damon in the car with me. He hasn't exactly got the 'good guy' look going for him, quite the opposite actually.

''Thanks.'' I mumbled as I reached for the door handle, making sure that I had my bag with me.

''Has Stefan and Elena said much about me to you?'' Damon repeated his question from earlier, sounding more serious this time resulting in me stopping my movements to exit the car.

''Not really, why?'' I answered feeling slightly defensive of my friends.

''No reason, really. I just thought that my brother would pull his chivalrous, protective act again as he has done many times before.'' Brother? Did he seriously mean that Stefan was his brother?

''Wait, Stefan's your brother? No way.'' I asked in disbelief, raising my eyebrows in question as I held Damon's steady gaze.

''Yeah, well, I didn't exactly choose for Saint Stefan and I to be related but sometimes there are things even I can't control.'' I rolled my eyes at his response, still finding it hard to believe that two people so different were from the same family.

''Good night, Damon.'' I stated before continuing to exit his car and walk up the drive to my front door. I wasn't expecting a reply so wasn't surprised when I heard a car engine roar followed by the crunch of gravel as Damon drove away.

* * *

Don't ask me how I ended up standing in front of the entrance to the Mystic Falls carnival the following weekend. For reasons even I couldn't fathom, I'd accepted an invite to this preppy event that Caroline had apparently helped organise. Didn't surprise me really, she seemed like a bit of a control freak. Not that I would ever say that to her though, don't need her hating me anymore than she already does.

Anyway, Elena had invited me and after quite a lot of convincing on her part, I decided that I would go for maybe an hour or two. This type of event wasn't what I would usually call 'fun' since I wasn't too big on the games hosted that I never seemed to win and I had a minor fear of going on rides. Nevertheless, here I stand, waiting outside in the cool evening air scanning the crowd for any familiar faces that could guide me through the chaos in front of me.

Music blared out at a high volume as the air was filled with screams of joy and excitement from the buzzing crowd surrounding me. I recognised a few people from school and noticed that everybody seemed to be having a good time. I'm sure I could enjoy myself if Elena hurried up and met me here, I feel like more of an outcast than the usual.

''Hey, Liv!'' I heard my nickname over the roar and snapped my head in the direction of the sound, my eyes immediately flitting to land on the familiar face of Bonnie.

''Hey! You have no idea how happy I am to see you, I've been stood here for ages.'' I complained jokingly offering her a warm smile.

''Yeah, sorry about that. Elena ditched me. Said she'd be coming by later with Stefan.'' She rolled her eyes as we shared knowing looks. Those two couldn't get enough of each other. ''Did you want to go and see what Care has lined up for everyone in there?'' Bonnie pointed towards the carnival.

''Oh yay, can't wait.'' I said sarcastically as Bonnie giggled and led me through the crowds of people pushing to get to the many stalls dotted around the field.

''Oh my gosh! Candyfloss!'' Bonnie squealed as she tugged on my arm, getting closer to the sweets stand. She ordered two bags of candyfloss and passed one to me, a massive grin on her face.

We wondered round taking in all the sights whilst waiting for Elena to turn up. I watched Bonnie take part in a few carnival games and cheered her on, surprised when she won quite a few of the games she took part in. I honestly thought most of these games were made biased and impossible to win, but apparently that wasn't the case with Bonnie. She won herself a wide variety of prizes, from bags of sweets to piles of stuffed animals that she insisted she had a home for in her room. I laughed along with her, her happiness rubbing off on me as we spent more time at the carnival and enjoyed ourselves.

''Oh, wait. Is that Elena?'' Bonnie asked, looking in the direction of an annoyed Elena who seemed to be wondering around the stalls alone. ''Elena?'' Bonnie hollered at her as she came closer, resulting in Elena snapping her head in our direction and smiling before she made her way over to us.

''Hey guys! I was looking everywhere for you two.'' She greeted as she came closer, ''Woah, Bonnie. Looks like someone got lucky tonight.'' She grinned as she eyed the many prizes Bonnie had lined up in her arms.

''Yeah.'' Bonnie laughed before continuing, ''Where have you been all night? We've been looking all over for you.''

''Oh, I was around. I didn't see you, otherwise I would've come to say 'hi'.'' She answered, looking over at me and sending us both sympathetic glances.

''It's no problem, really. We had a lot of fun!'' I reassured her as she began to look guilty.

''That's good to hear. Oh, Bonnie, I forgot to mention, Stefan said he wanted a word with you.'' Elena addressed Bonnie, a look of concern clouding her features.

''Oh, okay then. Do you guys mind if I go see him?'' Bonnie inquired as Elena and I shook our heads in answer. Bonnie smiled before rushing off in a random direction in search of Stefan.

''How's your night been then?'' I asked Elena as we began walking in the direction of a scary-looking fun house.

''Yeah, it's been good. I'm sorry again for ditching.'' She apologised.

''It's okay. It's there anything in particular you wanted to do?'' I asked curiously as we continued to walk in circles around the different attractions.

''Actually, I wanted to take a look in the mirror room. I used to play in them a lot as a kid, they're so funny!'' A look of happiness crossed her face as I nodded in agreement and we set off in the direction of the mirror room.

I didn't know what to expect before I entered the enclosed space filled with mirrors on each wall. Having never been in one before, I was unaware of how disorientating a room full of mirrors could be, but it didn't take me long to realise it when I entered.

''This is so confusing, I'm not even sure which one is the real me anymore.'' I joked as we walked around the maze of mirrors.

''Yeah, it's really strange. Hey, can I ask you a question?'' Elena abruptly changed the subject, turning slightly more serious.

''What's up?'' I asked as we rounded another corner and were faced with the reflection of our own faces again.

''How much do you know about Stefan and Damon?'' Elena's question confused me. Both because she of all people knew how little I had spoken to either brother and because it was such a random question.

''Not much, why?''

''Do you like them?'' She continued on with her questions, avoiding my own.

''Well, Stefan's nice, but Damon's a bit of a dick. You said so yourself.'' I answered again, still wondering where this random spout of questions had come from.

''I was wondering if you wanted to know more about them?'' She phrased it as a question, glancing quickly in my direction before looking back at our reflections.

''Sure, I mean if I'm going to be friends with Stefan then why not get to know him, right? Damon, on the other hand, I don't really care about.'' I laughed light heartedly, feeling as though Elena was being a bit too serious all of a sudden.

''Oh, I'm sure you'd like to know this juicy little bit of gossip.'' Her smile turned slightly mischievous as her eyes turned back towards me, an unfamiliar, menacing light shining deep within their depths.

* * *

_**A/N Hey guys! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, follows and favourites! It means so much to me and really motivated me to type this up and publish it, so I hope you enjoyed it! If you want me to write more of this story then please leave a review, favourite or follow because then I know people want more and I will write more :)**_

_**Lucy x**_


	6. Chapter 6 - Secrets

Chapter 6 – Secrets

I backed away slightly, startled and confused by the sudden change in Elena's demeanour. Her eyes followed my movements and she tilted her head to the side, still managing to look menacing.

''You're not scared are you, Olivia? I'm Elena, remember?'' Her taunting gaze never left my face as the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together in my mind and my heartbeat picked up its pace until I was sure I would collapse.

''K-Katherine?'' I stuttered out, uncertain and fearful of the danger my supposed friend was emitting.

''Somebody's smarter than I gave her credit for.'' She clapped slowly, causing my anger to flare and my fear to spike even more. She looked so intimidating. ''I still think you'll be _very_ interested in what I have to tell you.''

I shook my head, my thoughts jumbled up as panic began to set in. Elena had said she was dangerous and by the way Katherine was acting I was pretty certain that Elena hadn't been exaggerating when she told me to stay away. She'd been concerned for my safety and had been cautious whilst I decided to try and act carefree. The one thing that bothered me most about Katherine, though, was that she looked completely identical to Elena. She must be a _really _evil twin.

''We need to make a deal,'' Katherine began as I listened intently whilst deciding a plan of action to escape. ''You don't try to run…and I'll tell you Stefan and Damon's big, _bad_ secret. Agreed?''

I looked at her sceptically; I hadn't even thought that Stefan and Damon had a big secret. Honestly, I'm not that interested anyway; I hardly know the guys and Stefan's nice enough which makes me think she's bluffing. But, what would she want from me?

''I promise you'll want to know what I'm going to tell you.'' She tempted, ''They aren't as safe as you think they are, especially good ol' Stefan.'' I widened my eyes, slowly backing away. ''C'mon, surely you're a little interested?''

I didn't respond. She was right, I was tempted. She didn't look like she lying but then again I didn't know how devious Katherine might be. However, I still wanted to know what could make somebody like Stefan dangerous. Even Damon referred to his brother as 'Saint Stefan' so surely he doesn't have secret and would never hurt anybody.

''I'm guessing from your silence that you want to know more?'' I remained still after she uttered the words, silently agreeing with her, ''Then you have to promise that you won't try to run away. Do we have a deal?'' The smart side of my brain was telling me to leg it but the curious side was begging to find out what Katherine was making a big fuss about. I nodded my head, giving in to the curiosity and as soon as I did the famous saying 'curiosity killed the cat' bounced around in my thoughts.

Katherine narrowed her eyes before she spoke, ''Do you believe in mythical creatures, Olivia?'' The random question shocked me. Why was she asking me this now? I thought we were talking about Damon and Stefan?

Nevertheless, I answered by shaking my head 'no' and watched silently as a mischievous smile grew across her face, ''So how would you react if I told you that they exist? That they are roaming around in your so-called 'safe' world right at this minute? Huh, what would you say then?'' She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely as my confusion grew. Was this some sort of sick joke? Scare Olivia until she almost pees herself and you win? Well, this definitely isn't funny.

''W-what's this got to do with Stefan and Damon?'' I finally built up the courage to talk which seemed to please Katherine as she took steps closer to me at the same time as I retreated back until my back hit a solid obstacle that must have been a mirror.

''I feel sorry for you, you know. At first I felt sorry for Elena, getting herself into the same predicament that I myself was in years ago but then I realised she was nothing like me. Too foolish to even attempt to get herself out of the situation that she's in with the Salvatore's. But, now that you've arrived, I see that you could be a good twist in her tale. You see, Elena has turned her back on Damon; he'll be looking for somebody else to toy with. That's where you come in.'' Her smirk grew wider, but I had no idea what she was talking about and she seemed to have dodged my question effectively.

''Answer my question.'' I tried to be confident but ended up close to cowering as Katherine's gaze hardened.

''A little impatient, aren't we?'' She sounded annoyed now, and I didn't think I had made the best move in avoiding angering her with my last comment. I closed my eyes and wished that I was out of this situation right now. This girl was super scary and sounded way beyond her years, her eyes holding experience that I'd never seen before.

As soon as I felt Katherine get closer to my face, my eyes snapped open but I seriously wish they had stayed tightly closed. The girl that had been stood once before me was gone, replaced by something that resembled her, but also resembled some sort of demon. Her eyes had turned a shade of dark red, veins poking out of her skin beneath them, her lips pulled back from her teeth in a wicked smile revealing abnormally sharp canines that could only be described as _fangs_. My breaths became ragged and I felt my heart beating at a dangerously fast pace, my mind unable to fully process what was right in front of me.

Katherine let out a menacing laugh as she leaned in closer towards me. I was helpless, frozen from fear as I just stood there, having to support my weight on the wall behind me as my legs began to shake and give in.

''Now, do you believe that mythical creatures exist, Olivia?'' I shook harder as Katherine came dangerously close to my neck.

I closed my eyes again, wondering if I was just having a bad dream. That possibility was shattered as soon as I felt a massive amount of pain in the side of my neck. It felt as if two very sharp knives had been driven deep into my throat, but that wasn't the worst part. Immediately after the first shock of pain, came the feeling of my strength being drained from my entire body. A horrible feeling swamped me as I felt blood rush to the point where the initial pain had begun.

Just as I felt myself become woozy and tired, my eyes drooping shut, I felt a sudden rush of air just before the pain eased slightly and the feeling of blood being drawn from my body ceased. I fell, hitting the ground seconds later in a heap, unable to gather the strength to even move a muscle. I opened my eyes, trying to fight the tiredness that I feared would deliver me to my death, and my vision was blurred. I could barely make out the familiar face before me but when I did I used all strength I had left to jolt backwards, all I managed to do was shuffle slightly but I still managed to bang my head on the wall behind me which did nothing to help the pain and dizziness.

''Hey, hey, Liv. It's okay, it's me, Elena.'' A comforting voice spoke to me but I refused to be a victim to the deception again.

However, before I could attempt to retreat backwards and away from the girl in front of me again, black dots swam in my vision and I felt myself fall into never-ending darkness.

* * *

_**A/N Thanks for all of the reviews, followers and favourites I've been getting! Please don't stop if you want me to post more, they're very motivating and are encouraging me to write and post more of this story.**_

_**Thank you for reading, I really hope you are enjoying the story so far :) Please leave a review if you are or if you have any questions or anything. Don't leave any hate though because I will ignore it.**_

_**Lucy x**_


	7. Chapter 7 - Revealed

Chapter 7 – Revealed

I opened my eyes to be looking up into the face of a very concerned looking Stefan. His eyebrows were scrunched together as if he were in deep thought but the tight set of his lips made him also look like he was in pain. Suddenly, the memories of Katherine, her actions, words and demonic looks shot through my mind and I felt my eyes widen in absolute shock. I was confused for a moment as I expected to feel the agonising pain that had been present earlier but I only felt numb and stiff.

''Oh, Olivia! You're finally awake!'' I heard Elena's high pitched voice echo around the small enclosed space I was lying in. I spotted her smiling face as it popped up from behind Stefan's shoulder. ''I brought you some water.'' Stefan backed away and I felt a cold glass press to my lips followed by an icy cold liquid which I greedily parted my cracked, dry lips for and felt it wash down my throat.

''She awake yet?'' I heard an annoyed voice getting louder as the speaker came closer. I eventually saw Damon lean against a mirror-wall before me and frown down at me, his eyes showing no emotion.

I hesitantly raised my hands to take the glass from Elena before I attempted to speak, surprised when I still felt no pain, ''What-'' I coughed as my dry throat made it hard to get the words out, ''happened?''

''Well, we were hoping you could tell us because all we can figure out is that you were attacked, almost died and when we found you, you had a leech attached to your neck.'' Damon said bluntly, resulting in my jaw to literally drop open.

''L-leech?'' I questioned, the fears circling deep within me rising to the surface. Surely I hadn't just been a victim of a supernatural attack?

''Leech, blood-sucker, vermin, vampire, all of the above.'' Damon listed, my eyes widening with every word.

''Let's take this a little slower, yeah?'' Stefan spoke whilst sending Damon a death glare and then turning back to face me, ''This might be difficult for you to understand and comprehend at first, but before we start explaining this mess to you I need to ask you one question.'' Stefan gave me a sympathetic look as he asked, ''Are you ready for everything you know to change and potentially endanger yourself?''

The second part of the question scared me into considering the choice I had to make. Obviously I want to know the truth about what Katherine is and why she came after me but, no matter how selfish it sounds, I don't want to die. However, I had made my decision and I wasn't going to back down now, this occurrence was too strange to forget about anytime soon so I would most definitely regret not finding out what actually happened.

''I want to know.'' I breathed shakily, looking from Stefan to Elena and finally Damon, who still leant casually against one of the many mirrors, as if this happened all the time.

''Right.'' Stefan hesitated for a moment, ''Let's go and talk at our house, you don't look very comfortable.''

Stefan offered his hand, which I took and allowed him to help me to my feet. I was still waiting for pain to grip my muscles, but I felt fine. Once back on my feet, I stretched my stiff arms and legs and inspected the place where I had been situated for a while on the floor. The mirror where my head was resting was smeared red and I noticed a few shards of glass dotted around on the floor. I turned in place, scanning over the rest of the enclosed space. A mirror was shattered whilst others were slightly cracked opposite to where I was sitting and there were specks of what looked like red paint on several surfaces, including Damon's clothes which my eyes had landed on. I trailed my eyes upwards until they rested on his face and I noticed his eyes were gazing back at me, still showing no emotion.

''Are you ok to walk, Liv?'' Elena inquired, probably noticing I was staring dumbfounded at my surroundings.

''Yeah, I feel fine surprisingly.'' I answered and watched as Stefan and Elena shared a look before beginning to make their way out of the maze, motioning for me to follow.

''Is it a habit of yours to stare at everything?'' I heard Damon speak from behind me as I started to follow behind Elena.

''What else do you expect me to do in this situation?'' I twisted my head so I could see him behind me, ''If you hadn't noticed, I'm not particularly used to this sort of stuff happening.'' The tone of my voice clearly showed that I was irritated and I found it hard to control my anger towards the man. He hasn't even got the human decency to ask if I'm feeling ok after almost dying.

''Sounds like it's somebody's time of the month.'' Damon sounded amused as he attempted to wind me up. It was working.

''I can't believe you! You aren't even sympathetic when I was at the brink of death!'' I almost yelled, struggling to control my temper.

''Have you ever wondered if that's because I really couldn't care less?'' He sounded frustrated now, as if I was the arrogant one speaking here.

''Oh right, sorry. I forgot that in your world only you matter.'' I muttered as we finally exited the building.

I breathed in the cold, night air to clear my thoughts. The carnival was less crowded now with people heading towards the exits. The moon shone high above us meaning it was probably close to midnight. For the first time since waking up, I thought of an important question that I should've probably asked a while ago.

''Where did Katherine go?'' I whispered it in fear that she would turn up out of nowhere and finish what she had started.

''Don't worry about her. If she comes again for you then we'll be there to stop her.'' Stefan reassured me. I noticed that he said she could come back for me which means they didn't catch her; she's still out there somewhere.

I suddenly felt on edge and a chilling shiver ran up my spine that wasn't from the temperature.

''Speak for yourself, Steffie.'' Damon sent me a look as he spoke to Stefan. I felt my anger flare up at him again but managed to contain myself. I don't even know where my sudden burst of confidence came from earlier. Usually I am scared of Damon but when I answered him back earlier I didn't even give it a second thought. It was strange that I didn't see him as very dangerous anymore; after all he hadn't done anything to hurt me, yet.

* * *

Stefan and Damon's house was huge! It stood on its own and looked to be old-fashioned but it still looked good. I found it strange that two brothers shared a house this large but I didn't question it. Maybe they inherited loads of money or something?

I made my way up to the front door behind the others and trailed behind them as they headed towards a large seating area. I took a seat next to Elena on one of the comfy sofas, ready to hear what they have to tell me. I heard Damon wonder off somewhere for a moment before coming back with a glass of red liquid that I figured was wine, and sit down in an armchair across from us. I tore my eyes away from him to face Stefan who seemed to be preparing himself for a long speech.

''First things first,'' Stefan began and sighed, ''Promise me you won't run-''

''Cut to the chase.'' Damon ordered, interrupting his brother. As much as I hate to admit it, for once I agreed with Damon and wished Stefan wouldn't beat around the bush.

''Do you want to tell her then!?'' Stefan exclaimed at his brother, obviously frustrated.

Damon's eyebrows rose at his brothers outburst but he didn't say anything, going back to sipping his drink.

''You probably noticed that Katherine isn't exactly a normal human being.'' Stefan began and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. What would give me that idea? ''She is a vampire, experienced and much older than she looks.'' I fisted my hands to prevent them from starting to shake again. Stefan's serious face convinced me that he wasn't joking, Katherine wasn't _human_.

''Why does she look so much like Elena?'' I asked, speaking slowly so my voice didn't shake and I didn't stutter.

''This is where it gets complicated. Elena is Katherine's doppelganger, meaning they look identical to each other.'' Stefan answered, further confusing me.

''Alright…Before we go onto that can we go back to the vampire thing, please?'' I asked, not wanting to listen to too much information in case I had a nervous breakdown.

''Yes, vampires actually exist, before you ask.'' Damon said impatiently, as if he was speaking to a small child.

''Oh, I'm sorry I can't accept that straight away. I have lived most of my life thinking I lived amongst humans, not _monsters_.'' I answered him back again, getting seriously annoyed with his cocky attitude.

''Ouch, monsters? That hurt.'' Damon smirked at me.

Elena shot me a worried look as his words began to process in my mind. Wait…if it hurt him…

''Oh my God! You've got to be kidding me!?'' Fear spiked through me and I jumped up from my perch opposite Damon, my eyes widening.

''Surprise.'' Damon said unenthusiastically, looking as if he was having a lot of fun.

''Y-you?'' I pointed at Damon with a shaky finger before turning to face Stefan as well, ''And you?'' I asked accusingly, ignoring Elena's concerned expression and the sympathy in Stefan's eyes.

My mind screamed for me to run, to get away from the predators as I was now the prey. My body reacted, my legs running as fast as they could down the hall and towards the front door. I reached out towards the door handle and grasped it in my hands, swinging the door open as fast as I could. The night air bit at my bare skin as I sprinted down the drive.

''Olivia! Wait!'' I heard Elena's frantic calls from the direction of the house but ignored them, too focused on escaping. If she wanted to get herself killed then that was her choice, she's too attached to Stefan for me to drag her away and save her.

I headed towards the road at a quick pace, hoping to see a car driving towards me to my rescue. Instead it was abandoned but I didn't slow down, it wouldn't take me long to get home, I just need to find the way.

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_**A/N Thank you guys for reading! I can't believe how many views this story has, I'm so happy! **_

_**Anyway, thank you for all of the reviews, I noticed a few of you wanted longer chapters so I have a question... Would you guys prefer longer chapters with longer times between updates or shorter chapters with shorter time between? I can't say I'd get longer chapters out at a fast rate because of school work and other stuff but if you want them longer then I will try! So please leave a review if you like this story so far and tell me if you would like shorter or longer chapters considering the time it takes for me to write them and stuff :) Also please favourite and follow this story, it really motivates me! :D**_

_**Lucy x**_


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